Wireless communication systems are constantly evolving. System designers are continually developing greater numbers of features for both service providers as well as for the end users. In the area of wireless phone systems, cellular based phone systems have advanced tremendously in recent years. Wireless phone systems are available based on a variety of modulation techniques and are capable of using a number of allocated frequency bands. Available modulation schemes include analog FM and digital modulation schemes using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Each scheme has inherent advantages and disadvantages relating to system architecture, frequency reuse, and communications quality. However, the features the manufacturer offers to the service provider and which the service provider offers to the consumer are similar between the different wireless systems.
Regardless of the modulation scheme in use, the wireless phone available to the end user has a number of important features. Nearly all wireless phones incorporate at least a keyboard for entering numbers and text, and a display that allows the user to display text, dialed numbers, pictures and incoming caller numbers. Additionally, wireless phones may incorporate electronic phonebooks, speed dialing, single button voicemail access, and messaging capabilities, such as e-mail.
The features described above present only a sample of features that are capable of, or have already been, implemented into wireless phone systems. Any individual feature is capable of implementation into some or all of the wireless systems using the modulation schemes mentioned above.
Mobile subscribers are becoming increasingly connected to their mobile handsets which are often viewed as a necessary accessory during waking hours. Also, the line between work life and personal life is increasingly blurred due to the workplace demands on many employees, combined with longer hours, flex-time schedules, etc. In many circumstances, mobile subscribers share a single mobile handset for their work related business, their personal life and perhaps even a small personal business. There is thus an urgent need for this single multi-line mobile terminal to maintain separation between the respective telephone numbers, calling plans and billing arrangements, etc.
With the introduction of the multi-line mobile, however, there are some problems that arise when it comes to distinguishing which of the various lines or numbers on the multi-line mobile are being called. For example, the multi-line mobile user does not inherently know which number on his phone a calling party is dialing. Therefore, he may not know whether to answer an incoming call or not because he doesn't know which of the numbers the call is coming in on. This knowledge is important because it may not be appropriate to answer a personal call on the personal line during an active business meeting, but if the call came in on the business line, it may be important to answer the incoming call as it might be related to a meeting at hand, for example.
Because of these and other issues, there is a need that the telecommunications network support a feature that will provide a multi-line mobile user with not only an incoming caller identification, but also an identification of the mobile number that is being dialed by the calling party so that the called party (who is multi-line mobile user) can identify which of his mobile numbers is being called.